Three former Texans come back to Houston on Sunday

When the Ravens offense lines up against the Houston defense at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, a couple of familiar faces will be wearing helmets with birds on them.

Fullback Vonta Leach, whom the Texans let go after the 2010 season, and receiver Jacoby Jones, who got the heave-ho after 2011, now play for Baltimore.

On Thursday, Kubiak didn’t have much to say about the absence of the man who returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sunday. “Well we couldn’t keep him,” Kubiak told the media. “I don’t know how else to explain that to you. You can’t pay them all, can’t keep them all. That’s the only explanation I can give you.”

That may be the only explanation Kubiak can give, but the questions will keep coming if Jones has a major role in a Ravens win on Sunday.

UPDATE 8:38 p.m. ET: As several of you have pointed out, Ravens safety Bernard Pollard is a former Texan, too. Sorry.

10 responses to “Three former Texans come back to Houston on Sunday”

Jacoby was honestly one of my favorite Texans while he was here. I was sad when I heard they cut him, but not heart broken. He was a number 3 receiver, and he was never very explosive in Houston on special teams. Also had the cowboys actually made the FG this wouldn’t be nearly as impressive, and I’ve never heard a team say they pride themselves on stopping kick returns.

@texansfan88
Yeah cause even a good player like Pollard shouldn’t be able to contribute on one of the worst NFL defenses in history. Even many of the Houston sports press said they wish Pollard had stayed, as he was one of the bright spots ( next to cushing and Williams) of a historically bad defense.

Jacoby Jones wasn’t nearly as big of a loss as Leach was. This guy is still a thumper for the Ravens. If you really really wanted a guy to stay, they could’ve found a way (pay cuts, restructures, etc). He may have thought the FB position was easily replaceable, who knows. Indeed, Houston has a dynamic duo in Foster & Tate, but I remember Leach providing some home-run blocks for the boys back then. He was also used as another body in pass protection, that’s like having an extra lineman blocking alongside the QB. To top that off, he still puts players on their ass in B-More.
Not taking anything away from Foster’s game, but I wouldn’t doubt Leach played a great deal in Foster’s early success.
It’s truly a shame that the FB position is regarded as the least important position in ALOT of people’s minds. Not only do they pave the way for a RB to score or gain large chunks of yards, they also take the most beating to their body outside of Linemen, give or take.

One rookie on the cowboys got blocked inside and all you need is one crease. Honestly jacoby was okay but he plateaued and always seemed to mess up at the wrong time, mostly dropping wide open passes. Especially with Walter being mostly a blocking/possession receiver, our #3 needs to be a playmaker and jacoby showed in the playoffs that he is who we thought he was.

Although Pollard was a big hitter, he was terrible in coverage. Jacoby’s stint in Houston was nothing but disappointing. We’ve definitely upgraded in both positions. The only player who is missed is Vonta. Dudes an absolute beast. But even then, what James Casey lacks in lead blocking, he more than makes up for it with his hands, route running, and versatility.